1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a programmable push button having a microcontroller located therewithin to cause power to be applied to a load, whereby an external event can be initiated for a particular time. The push button includes a piezoelectric disc that is responsive to a sequence of manually applied pushing forces that are entered by a user at a push button cap for enabling a corresponding series of pulses to be applied to the microcontroller.
2. Background Art
Time delay relays and push button switches are known to those skilled in the art to cause power to be supplied from a power source to initiate a particular event for a particular predetermined time. The typical time delay relay and its push button switch require wires running therebetween. It is not presently known to combine the time delay relay and the push button switch into a single, compact user programmable push button. Therefore, the conventional relay and switch consume a relatively large amount of space in the field and increase the cost and inconvenience associated with having to purchase and install two independent electrical components.